THE Dungog Festival, a new event showcasing film, food, music and local community, was launched at the historic James Theatre in Dungog.

A conversation between two Dungog businesswomen, Tracy Norman and Nancy Knudsen, paved the way for the three-day festival to eventuate which is expected to attract about 3000 visitors to Dungog Shire at the end of August.

“The State Government is committed to supporting the creative industries and the Australian film industry, as well as fostering great regional events that bring so much to the local community,” state member for Upper Hunter George Souris said.

“With this in mind we have entered into a partnership with the Dungog Arts Foundation to support the festival for the next three years through our tourism and major events agency Destination NSW.”

The event is projected to deliver around $3.6 million in visitor expenditure over the next three years.

Chair of the Dungog Arts Foundation, Martin Addison, said the festival is owned and operated by the people of Dungog.

“We look forward to inviting thousands of visitors to share great film, food, wine and live entertainment with us and show as many people the beauty of Dungog Shire,” he said. “Dungog has a strong reputation for outstanding destination festivals and we intend to continue that reputation with the new festival.

“A world-class cinema program is just the beginning, with a full four days of events and activities supporting the film program and encouraging visitors to explore and enjoy the local culture and countryside.

“Profits from the festival, which is community based and driven, will be distributed to local organisations.”